South Africa’s new cheapest electric bakkie

Enviro Automotive has revealed the pricing and specifications for the upcoming Riddara RD6 Econ electric bakkie.

Riddara is a sub-brand of Chinese carmaker Geely, which is set to launch in South Africa before the end of the year.

The company has partnered with Enviro Automotive, which will function as the importer and distributor for Geely’s vehicles in South Africa.

The RD6 will be offered in two specifications: an entry-level workhorse with a single motor, and a higher-spec version with a twin motor configuration.

The former will start at R725,000, while the latter will fetch a minimum of R830,000.

While this is undeniably expensive, it does make the Riddara the most affordable electric double cab in the country by a significant margin.

There are only three other electric pickups on sale in South Africa, and only one of them is a double cab.

The cheapest electric bakkie is the R595,000 Foton eTruckmate Dropside, which is followed by the R919,994 Maxus EDeliver 3 Chassis Cab.

The only five-seater option is the Maxus T90 EV, which starts at R1,100,000.

This means that the Econ has effectively lowered the price floor for electric double cabs by a whopping R375,000.

What to expect

The base model is fitted with a single rear-mounted e-motor that produces 180kW and 3009Nm.

This lets it accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in roughly 8.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 160km/h.

Powering the e-motor is a 63kWh battery with a range of around 300km, according to the WLTP standard.

It can support charging speeds of up to 90kW DC, which can achieve a 30% to 80% top-up in just 32 minutes.

The fastest AC speed supported is 6.6kW, translating to a charging time of 10 hours.

All of this gets kicked into high gear with the range-topping model, which has the stats to rival some of South Africa’s most powerful bakkies.

The top-spec RD6 has two electric motors (one over each axle) which generate a combined output of 280kW and 485Nm.

Sadly, the South African models actually have less power than the ones already on sale in places like New Zealand, which boast up to 315kW, but even so, the Riddara’s stats are rather impressive.

It can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds, matching the acceleration time of the plug-in hybrid BYD Shark – the most powerful bakkie in South Africa.

This is how the RD6 stacks up against the Shark and the Ford Ranger Raptor:

The higher-spec RD6 also gets a larger 73kWh battery, which has a range of roughly 350km.

In terms of practicality, the rear-wheel-drive model can tow 2.5 tonnes and haul 1,115kg in the rear bed.

The all-wheel-drive version, meanwhile, can tow up to 3.5 tonnes and carry 1,235kg.

As far as equipment goes, both options come with a digital driver display and an 8-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and CarbitLink smartphone mirroring.

Other features confirmed for the double cab include keyless entry and start, automatic conditioning, a multifunction steering wheel, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, electronic stability control, hill start and descent control, and traction control.

Both models are also sold with a 3-year/60,000km warranty and service plan, and an 8-year/150,000km battery warranty.

Riddara RD6 Econ